'Who's there, what their interests are matters,' Mayor Emanuel says about the governor's office

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday declined to discuss what it might be like to work with Republican Bruce Rauner as governor, but he was quick to praise the benefits of working with Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn.

Emanuel met with reporters at City Hall earlier in the day, before Quinn held an afternoon news conference to concede the race to Rauner.

Asked if it even mattered who controls the governor's mansion when it comes to his agenda and Chicago's interests, Emanuel responded by highlighting examples of areas where he and Quinn agreed on spending initiatives for the city. Emanuel pointed to the state's investment in rebuilding the Red Line's south leg, contributing to new parks and nature preserves and building a new transportation and logistics facility at Olive Harvey College on the Far South Side.

"It does matter who the governor is," Emanuel said. "That's why I didn't just support the governor out of party loyalty. We share common values and common objectives.

"It does matter whether a governor realizes that we have the second largest transportation system and people on the South Side of Chicago had a train system that was going 15 miles per hour. It took a bold decision to decide we're going to shut it down, replace all 11 miles of track, every station and get the partnership to do that," the mayor said.

"Who's there, what their interests are matters," Emanuel added. "And while I am a Democrat and have been my whole life and I'm proud to share that party identification with the governor, my support for him was also because of our shared interests and him understanding the central role that Chicago plays."

Much has been made of Emanuel's friendship with Rauner. The Tribune published a 2010 photo earlier this year of the two walking toward a Montana resort restaurant near Rauner's ranch, carrying bottles of wine. As an investment banker, Emanuel helped hash out a deal that made Rauner's firm, GTCR, about $500 million. And shortly after being elected mayor in 2011, Emanuel selected Rauner and his wife for unpaid, but prominent, advisory roles.

While the mayor and Rauner have that history, Emanuel said Wednesday that he couldn't remember the last time he talked to his Republican friend.

"It's been so long," Emanuel said, "I don't remember when I talked to Bruce."